Mawar (Dina Valentine)

I used to love writing short stories. They were mostly in Indonesia, and a few were written in English. I’d been thinking for quite sometime to translate at least one of them into Balinese. Yeah Balinese, my mother tongue. Balinese also has its own alphabet which we call aksara Bali (shown in the picture); a, na, ca, ra, ka, da, ta, sa, wa, la, ma, ga, ba, nga, pa, ja, ya, nya. Simple? Not at all, there are also additional aksara. What makes it more difficult is that, we aren’t taught to read Balinese texts written in Balinese alphabets in daily life. We just learn to do it for exam or something, unless we take Balinese Language and/or Literature major in college.

image courtesy of Kompasiana

For more about Balinese alphabet: Balinese script

So I decided not to use Balinese alphabet. But still, it’s crazy how difficult it was. “Balinese is your first language, you grew up speaking it, it shouldn’t be that difficult, right?” Wrong! Putting aside the alphabet, Balinese is still a complicated language. It has several types depending on who you are, whom you are talking to, where you are, what’s the situation, etc. One word in Indonesian can have 4 or more word equivalents in Balinese depending on these factors.

Of course I decided to translate my story into the most common type, “Basa Kapara”, the daily language. But guess what, I ended up mixing the types. I even had to use an online dictionary to translate many words (which I don’t know the Balinese of), pathetic!

The title of the short story is “Mawar (Hari Valentine)” which means Rose (Valentine’s Day), a supposedly funny short story I wrote on a Valentine’s Day a few years ago.

Here’s the stupid story, which is even more stupid now haha!

MAWAR (VALENTINE’S DAY)

Valentine, dina barak muda, dina bek jak kasih sayang lan tresna. Keto kone.

Makudang-kudang anak luh mekaik, baange bunga mawar olih dedemenane. Ada anak luh ane mapi – mapi tengkejut, makesiab, sing menyet lakar maan bunga. Sakewala, ada masih ane mekenyem sinis, ngampigang bunga mawar sane kabaang lantas ngentungang ke keramike, “Dialoas mesuluh, pantes apa sing cai masanding jak cang?”

Kaonyang, sing, das kaonyang anak luh di sekolah maan bunga mawar, ada ne maan besik, dua. Dewi, nak luh paling jegeg di sekolah, ane sesai kaukina dedari saking langit maan apinpin bunga mawar warna-warni, boneka beruang gede misi tulisan I tanda jantung U, miwah cokelat import saking Belgia uli tunanganne ane masih masekolah ditu.

Tiang tolah tolih ke sudut sekolah, liu tepuk anak mademenan. Ada ane magisiang lima, ada ane megelut, ada masih ane madiman. Tiang makipekan, tusing ja ulian seneb, nanging tiang dot, iri nepukan timpal timpal tiange kaonyang bagia dina Valentine ne mangkin. Limang tiang kari puyung.

Margane ka kantin mangkin osek olih para sisya sane dot matumbasan bunga. Nggih, ring dina speSIAL sekadi mangkin, kantin sekolah kasulap dados peken bunga. Pengurus OSIS ring sekolah tiange madolan mawar lan bati madolan nika lakar kaangge kegiatan tahunan OSIS. Tiang majalan adeng adeng riang pantaraning sisya sisya sane marampiuk lakar numbas bunga.

“Suba akuda maan mawar, Ren?” anak luh jegeg maekin tiang sambil makenyem sinis. Erika! Musuh tiange uli SMP! Ia noleh ke liman tiange sane kari puyung lan kantong bajun tiange sane puyung masih, “Patuh jak dugase tiban? Hahaha.” Ngaka ia kedek, kaseringin oilh dayang-dayangne, I kembar, Lala lan Lili. Huh, amen jani tiang ngaba akotak coklat, pasti lakar angge tiang nimpug nenek sihir e niki.

Bel mamunyi pang telu, pinanda sampun galah masuk kelas, sakewala para sisyane sekadi tusing rungu, nu iteh meli bunga di kantin sekolah, ada ane nu mojok ajak tunanganne. Tuah ada abesok sisya ane suba di kelas dugase ento, sisya punika tusing maan mawar nang akatih, tusing maish maan coklat nang akotak.

Lima menit sampun liwat, kelase nu masih sepi. Limalas menit saking bel mamunyi mara onyang sisyane sampun negak di kelas. Bu Anggi, guru sane kasub killer, sane biasane tusing taen telat, tumben telat masuk ke kelas. Bu Anggi mekenyem manis, asane tiang tumben nepukin bu gurune makenyem. Bu Anggi majalan ngegol sekadi model ring catwalk, limane ngembel barang mawarna barak sane ngae tiang makesiab. Mimih, guru killer ento gen maan masih bunga mawar! Dot sajan asane tiang ngilang uli kelasne, prajani. Rasa rasane tusing sanggup tiang naenang sebet tiange santukan tuah tiang pediid sane tusing maan bungan nang abesik.

Tiang nguntul lantas nyenderang sirah di bangkune, minehang apa keranane tiang nepukin unduk sekadi niki. Ipidan, dugas SMP, tiang sisya sane dados kaanggap popular, ipidan dugas tiang kari matimpal sareng Erika, Lala lan Lili. Tiang makasami metimpal paak, setata bareng bareng, jawat mejalan ka sekolah, jawat mulih, jawat malali. Sakewala makejang melenan disubane tiang ngae palih gede. Tusing nyelapang tiang nyuang tunangane Erika. Dugas ento tiang tusing nawang Dino tunanganne Erika. Nyen ngorin tusing cerita? Nyen masih nyidang nolak anak muani blasteran Indonesia – Jepang ento?

Uli sekat ento Erika, Lala lan Lili ngejohan tiang, nganggep tiang musuh. Tiang sampun mautsaha ngemang penjelasan, nanging Erika tusing sadia ningehang. Tiang kaejohang, tusing anggape timpal. Kadirasa, tiang jadma sane paling pelih di gumine ene. Telah tiang gaenange pisuna, pisuhe tiang di malun timpal-timpal tiange sane lenan. Sane paling ngae tiang sebet, tusing ja wantah di dunia nyata tiang gaenanga pisuna, sakewala keto masih di dunia maya, di internet. Foto tiange edite, sekadi tiang nyemak gae sane tidong-tidong, lantas kaunggah foto-foto editan nika ka Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, lan sane tiosan. Tiang tan bina artis sane kaendahang olih hatersnyane.

Dugas mara mara, tiang maan marasa stress, dot pesan tiang pindah sekolah ke kota tiosan, mana masih tiang menyet lakar bunuh diri, aget masih tiang enggal sadar. Mautsaha tiang apang kuat nyalanang idup tiange sane sebet ento. Dadosne, dini tiang mangkin, enu sekolah di sekolah ane patuh ngajak Erika.

Pelajahan dinane jani rasane mekelo sajan, aget bel mulih mamunyi pas dugas kesabaran tiange das telah. Ngenggalang tiang majalan di koridor sekolah, ngentasin sisya-sisya sane kare sibuk sareng cokelat, kartu ucapan, miwah mawar nyanne. Mara tepuk gerbang sekolahanne, tambah enggal tiang majalan.

Hap!! Makecog tiang di gerbang, suba di sisin sekolah jani tiang, suba joh uli mawar mawar Valentine ento. Lantang angkihan tiange sawireh suba marasa aman.

Paningalan tiange ngedengang dugas teka uli dija kaden ada bunga mawar barak ngendih luwih tur mebo miik saget ada di arepan tiange. Anak muani bagus genjing cara rejuna metimpuh sambilang ngenjuhang maware ento. Oke! Sane simalu, anak muani ento tusing ja cara arjuna, tusing bagus sajan, tur mabaju lecek tusing materik, sane nomor dua, ia tusing ja matimpuh, wantah majujuk ningalin tiang sambil makenyem, ngenjuhang mawar sane sujatine tusing ja lung lung sajan, suba layu abedik. Nanging, buat tiang ento tusing dadi masalah. Sane penting, tiang maan bunga mawar! Dot rasane tiang makaik, ngorang amen tiang maan mawar. Dot rasane tiang ngedengang maware ento ka Erika, Lala lan Lilia pang onyang nawang tiang nyidang masih maan mawar. Maware ne mawar kapertama tiang sasukat kejadiane ento dugas SMP kelas dua. Ngetel yeh paningalan tiange ulian bagia.

Ngejer liman tiange nyemak maware ento, lantas tiang makenyem tur ngomong, “Luung sajane maware ene.”

Anak muani ento nimpalin makenyem, “Luung mula Mbo, bang Mbo jegeg ne, aji duang dasa tali gen!”